{"id":6358,"date":"2026-09-08T02:43:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T09:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/?p=6358"},"modified":"2026-07-08T15:44:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T22:44:47","slug":"my-dnf-reading-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embracinghome.blog\/index.php\/2026\/09\/08\/my-dnf-reading-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"My DNF Reading Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I read 100+ books a year & give myself permission to build a reading life around curiosity, enjoyment, and intentionality rather than guilt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by Kari Shea<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid Not Finish\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It sounds so wimpy and feels shameful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A book DNF can be seen as a reader\u2019s mistake, lack of attention, or an academic weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The requirement set by my high school teachers to \u201cfinish every book I start\u201d actually stalled my reading for several years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my 20\u2019s, it felt like a painful self-improvement project to read the non-fiction that was recommended to me by mid-life church ladies at that time (mostly patronizing marriage\/parenting books). \ud83d\ude44<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And after suffering through a stack of badly written fiction, I was afraid to add more books to my TBR list. That reading slump sadly lasted several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the many tools that has helped me redefine and make major progress in my reading life has been creating a solid DNF policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It quietly lives in the background helping me when a book doesn\u2019t quite fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was reminded of the many layers of why and how I choose to DNF a book when this Substack Note popped up in my feed =<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Notes post by: Books May Save Us<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFriends, please let me know if you DNF books that aren\u2019t engaging you or do you fight through even if it\u2019s a slog? Do you have rules or exceptions for this? Some classics are tough and challenging in a great way, but what if we\u2019re reading for pleasure?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hate to DNF, but I also hate to miss out on books I know could work for me because I\u2019m trying to get into the idea of a centaur buying jam. I love fantasy and I love cozy, but I can\u2019t seem to put them together in my head!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I have had 4 DNFs this month and so I have been thinking about this frequently. And after writing a very long response (in very book nerdy fashion<\/em>\ud83e\udd13), I decided to write a post sharing my thoughts with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But first, before we move on\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out my freebie printable.<\/strong> This is a peek into Lesson #4 from my online personal curriculum class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

free DNF PDFs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I would classify myself as an avid reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I read between 70 – 130 books a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To decide if I will DNF a book, I think back to my original reason for reading it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of my reading reasons:<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n